Carborane and derivatives of carborane belong to a class of compounds known to be effective ballistic modifiers for obtaining high burning rates. A number of derivatives of carborane also serve as effective plasticizers in composite propellants. n-Hexylcarborane (NHC) has been used in propellant, however, the low yield of the process for preparation and the complex process for preparation contribute to the high cost of n-hexylcarborane. Similarly, other alkyl carboranes have been prepared with corresponding results of high costs due to complexities of processes and the low yields thereof. Although extensive efforts have been spent toward improving the NHC process, no significant increases in yields have been achieved.
A simpler process than the NHC process is desired to produce derivatives of carborane in higher yield to result in lower cost than NHC or similar alkyl carboranes. Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a process for preparing derivatives of carborane which derivatives are suitable for use in propellant compositions to achieve very high burning rates.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simpler process to produce high yields of carborane derivatives that have desirable properties for propellant use.